How to Sprout Organic Seeds

Overview

Sprouting organic seeds is an easy way to get many of the benefits of a fresh salad year round, grown in your own kitchen, and super-fresh. Sprouts provide vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, beneficial enzymes and phytochemicals. Seeds and supplies are easy to find.

Step 1

Choose the seeds you want to sprout. Alfalfa, buckwheat, mustard, and radish are popular, as are adzuki beans, chickpeas, lentils, mung beans, sunflowers, and wheat. Some are eaten raw in salads, others need to be cooked.

Step 2

Get a sprouting container that fits your needs. A quart jar with a screw-on strainer top is an inexpensive way to start. Multi-level sprouters allow you to sprout several different seeds at once.

Step 3

Pour tap water, if that is what you will be using to sprout and rinse your seeds, into an open container, such as a jug or wide-mouth jar, and let it stand overnight before using it to rinse your seeds. The chemicals will "out-gas" and leave the water essentially chemical-free. Public water usually contains tiny amounts of chemicals such as chlorine. These are supposedly not harmful to us, but they may inhibit seed germination and sprouting.

Step 4

Soak seeds for at least eight hours, or overnight, in a container full of water. Carefully strain and rinse them, drain well, then place them in your sprouting container.

Step 5

Rinse and drain the seeds twice a day. Morning and night are good times, because you can make this a part of your morning and nighttime routines. Don't forget to do this, because your sprouts will die if they dry out, and may develop dangerous diseases unless they are rinsed and thoroughly drained frequently. Your sprouts should be ready to eat in two to three days.

Step 6

Refrigerate your sprouts to prolong their useful life, but if they change color, develop "off" odors, or become moldy, discard them immediately. Thoroughly wash and sterilize the container.